FAQs

(Q) Why Should I Choose AAdvanced Inspections Inc.?
(A) The purchase of a new home is one of the largest investments a family can make. Getting a new home inspection allows the buyer to receive an unbiased, professional opinion to help determine the current condition of the house. An inspection will help foresee any immediate conditions that need to be addressed and touch on areas that could become a problem in the future. This helps save money both immediately and in the future while also helping greatly with any settlement negotiations.

(Q) How Long Will The Inspection Take?
(A) Most inspections take an average of 2-4 hours depending on the home size or things being inspected, not including the time needed to prepare a report. The time can vary based on the size and condition of the property. Attics and crawl spaces must be accessible or we won’t be able to access these areas.

(Q) When My Bank Is Having The House Appraised, Should I Still Have The Home Inspected?
(A) Absolutely! The bank’s appraisal is an independent evaluation of the current market value of the property. The appraiser works for the bank while we work for you, helping you save time and money with a realistic unbiased inspection of your property’s current condition.

(Q) Does A Brand New House Need An Inspection?
(A) Absolutely! Most builders try to provide a high-quality house, but they have to balance that with staying competitive. For builders, it often comes down to ‘survival of the cheapest’. Much work is done by sub-contractors. A construction boom in recent years has caused a shortage of skilled labor. Coordinating schedules between different trades is a juggling act. New products are constantly being introduced into the market adding even more confusion.

Municipal inspectors try to do a good job but they’re vastly overworked, often looking at dozens of houses each day. A thorough home inspection takes hours, not minutes. Municipal inspectors simply don’t have the manpower to find all the construction defects.

(Q) How Much Does A Home Inspection Cost?
(A) The price of the inspection is determined by the size and age of the house and any other buildings. The price of any other additional testing that you want to be performed at the time of the inspection will be added to the price of the inspection. Call us for a quote. (If you’re a home buyer, it will be helpful to have a copy of the listings available when you call.)

(Q) Why Do Some Of Your Competitors Cost Less?
(A) All home inspectors are not equal. You only have one chance to get a good home inspection. You don’t want cheap — you want the best home inspection possible! Saving a few bucks by using a bargain-priced home inspector could cost you thousands of dollars in repair costs in the long run.

(Q) What’s Included In The Inspection?
(A) The home inspection is, by definition, a visual overview of the entire home and all of its integral systems. This includes all of the following:

(Q) May I Attend The Inspection?

(A) We invite you to be present during the inspection, though it’s not necessary. Your presence gives you the opportunity to see what our inspector is noting and the chance to ask any questions you may have. We know this is not possible for many people due to time constraints, so rest assured that we will provide you with a very detailed report whether you’re present or not.

(Q) When Should I Call To Schedule The Inspection?
(A) As soon as possible after you have a signed purchase contract. We’re often scheduled a week or more in advance, so make sure that your purchase contract has plenty of time for you to get repair estimates for major problems that may show up during the inspection.

For newly constructed homes, schedule the inspection a few days before your walk-through with the builder so that you’ll have our written report in your hands during the walk-through. You should schedule warranty inspections at least a month before your warranty expires.

(Q) How Do I Prepare For The Inspection?
(A) Preparing for the inspection is easy. Be ready to follow us around the home. You may want to bring a notepad and pen to take notes. All deficiencies are listed on our reports but there are some maintenance items (i.e. like when to change a furnace filter) that will not be on the inspection report.

(Q) When Will The Report Be Ready?
(A) All inspections are sent by email the day following the inspection. All of our inspection reports are computerized with digital photos. All inspection reports will be e-mailed. We want you to have a full understanding of the home when you review the inspection report.

(Q) What If The Inspection Reveals Problems?
(A) We may find things that weren’t expected. That’s what you want, right? No house is perfect, not even new construction. The report is not a seller’s “Must-Fix” list; it’s just an impartial reporting of the condition. Every situation is different — it’s up to you and your real estate agent to decide how to proceed after the inspection.

(Q) Are There Limitations To The Inspection?
(A) Yes, we can’t see through walls or predict the future! If we could do either of those, we’d be in another line of work earning a lot more money. Keep in mind that a home inspection lasts only a few hours, and it’s not technically exhaustive. A home inspection is not an appraisal or a check for compliance with building codes and it’s not an evaluation for any biological or environmental hazards.

(Q) Do You Offer A Home Guarantee?
(A) No. Something can look and operate just fine today and still break tomorrow. We do our best to give you the most thorough inspection possible. If you want a home warranty they are available through other sources. Review the warranty carefully to determine what the warranty covers.

(Q) What If I Have Questions Later?
(A) Your understanding of the home is my highest priority. You can ask questions for as long as you own your home.

(Q) Buyers should not miss the opportunity to have their potential home purchase inspected
(A) Buying a house is exciting, but it also involves a great deal of time and effort. It includes finding the right real estate agent, looking at financing options, locating the property that has the features, location, and price that works within Your budget.

(Q) Does the WDI report indicate active termites?
(A) The WDI report is filled out correctly
page 1 section 8, checked active subterranean termites
page 1 section 8G description Sub-termites . . . area: the foundation of the dining room.
page 2 (AS) is the abbreviation for Active Subterranean Termite . . . at the top of the diagram the state defines the abbreviations and I circled A-Active; S-Subterranean Termite labeled on the house diagram.

(Q) What are the orange stickers on the windows and outlets?
(A) Yes the black X marks on the window panels pertain to broken window seals. On page thirteen of the report, the orange stickers pertain to outlets that are loose.

(Q) Do you feel qualified to review the aluminum wiring?
(A) I always open and examine the electrical panel when accessible. I test all outlets for continuity but do open a few random outlets to identify if they are pig-tailed when wiring in the panel is aluminum. The wiring in the panel should have antioxidant on the connections and one gauge larger wire used than if it were copper to the breakers.

Pig-tailing copper to aluminum wires is the preferred method when done correctly by the city of Plano. Attaching a strand of copper wire to the aluminum using an Al/Cu Wire Connector (these are usually purple for identification). CPSC recommends COPALUM connector repair. CPSC does not support pig-tailing mentioned above.

(Q) How do I obtain an inspection quote?
(A) I’d be happy to. I do need more details i.e. address, size, age, and so on. Or you can always reach my office directly at (972) 612-3946

(Q) Three questions regarding the inspection report?
(A) 1) TREC guidelines want inspectors to peel back a random number of shingles to see if they are fastened with staples or nails. The comment I made was simply to state that I would cause damage to the shingles if I were to peel back a layer they are already adhering together – which is common. Very few homes can I peel back the shingles.

2) Yes – copied from the report

• Heating Equipment
• Type of Systems: Forced Central Air
• Energy Sources: Gas

Comments: Two gas furnace(s) flame pattern appears normal, the operation appears to be good.

Note that the downstairs HVAC system has a fresh air ventilation system that pulls outside air into the home about 20 to 30% of the time if it is working properly SEE the following that is in the report on pages 15-16.

YOU MAY WANT TO TURN THIS SYSTEM OFF! Or have the builder’s contractor look it over to see if it is working correctly.

3) You should time it precisely and see what happens. Worst case scenario for getting hot water to a location that I have seen is 3 minutes and that is not a good thing. The builder may say there is nothing he can do to the routing of the plumbing lines however I would press the builder on this issue as being unacceptable if, in fact, it takes 3 minutes or more.

The last statement – have the builder make the corrections to the furnace first then second if this does not improve contact my subcontractor Albert (have him look at the system, not his workers) he charges about $50 per unit evaluation and specializes in heat and air. Heat & Air – Atlantic AC – (ask for Albert the owner to come out) 972-247-9536 dispatch@AtlanticAC.org. There you go – I am available to help further as needed.

(Q) Who do you recommend for carpet cleaning?
(A) I do not have any carpet cleaning companies on my list but I have always been very happy with Sears since they do steam cleaning and it is commercial equipment, not something that I could rent.

They are often running 4 rooms for $99 special this time of year . . . I would ask about this. Here is their link: http://www.searsclean.com/

(Q) Could you drop by and visit with me on the critical elements of the inspection report?
(A) Congratulations on the new job, you have a lot going on. The inspection field has been very busy for some time. I charge $80.00 an hour for consulting.  If you have some questions that can be answered over the phone no fee, no problem, happy to do that.  If we need to sit down and mark up the report as to items of most importance and discuss then I will make time and put an appointment on my calendar. Hopefully, you repaired the more critical issues on the list soon after the inspection. My direct line is (214) 577-9057

(Q) Is this true? The builder said, “Termite treatment is not required in all locations”.
(A) In researching the IRC code chemical treatment required in 2003 but by 2009 they spelled out that each jurisdiction will determine based on their specific geographical area as to whether they have a high probability of termite activity or not AND then make a decision of the requirement to pre-treat of not. 2009 also provides other solutions to thwarting termite activity. I tried to capture the verbiage and attach but it seems the codebook is copy protected. Unable to copy and paste data from this book . . . I can take a snapshot if needed.

The city of Little Elm posts the IRC codebook and additional items that they will inspect – To check for termite treatment code in Little Elm see the link below. You will need to call the Little Elm building department for a specific answer. http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/irc/2009/index.htm?bu=IC-P-2009-000002&bu2=IC-P-2009-000019

(Q) I have a couple of questions regarding the roof in your report
(A)

I was very surprised to see that I had typed the word STAPLES in my report.

The correct answer is NAILS; I have attached the report with corrected verbiage. Sampling was difficult because the shingles were already adhering by means of the adhesive strip to make a solid seal between shingles.

Well, the decay has been a slow process best handled prior to installing a new roof. If you were to cut the siding up one inch there would still be two inches of adequate flashing. The step flashing height is designed with the understanding that the siding material will be one inch above the roof. I think it may be hard to cut at this point (cut with a power saw 95% of the way into the siding and finish the cut with a box cutter or linoleum type of knife.

At this point may want to just sand, prime, and paint the wood in these areas and keep up with annual maintenance. If you are staying for 8 to 10 years then consider trimming the siding back.